Benji's Cantina manager describes shooting scene

It was a terrifying moment for those near the crime scene.

Benji's Cantina is right across the street. We're told patrons on the patio ducked down, while staff tried to keep everyone calm. We spoke with one of the managers who is still in shock.

A normal brunch hour at Benji's Cantina on West 6th quickly turned into a chaotic scene.

"Six gun shots were just fired, five gun shots were just fired," says Cat Ramirez, Benji's Cantina manager.

Right across the street is where a shooting unfolded.
It's something you wouldn't expect on a Sunday afternoon.
It was a moment of panic.

"All the patio that was here seated, freaked out. Everybody got down at first. We actually walked over there and saw the suspect on the ground and he was dead," says Ramirez.

Staff members reportedly saw an officer speeding down 6th Street, pull into the parking on West Avenue and jump out. Then several shots were heard.

Manager Cat Ramirez says they did their best to maintain everyone's safety, especially not knowing what could happen next.

"At first I didn't want anybody coming out; I didn't want anybody going over there. Then you started to see a lot of people crowding the area, a lot of people crouching down and trying to see. We felt at that point it was done, there were already multiple cops here," says Ramirez.

APD says a veteran police officer was wounded and the gunman was killed. 

The restaurant opened up it's location on West 6th Street three years ago. We're told they've never encountered an incident like this before. They hope they never have to again.

"It's scary. He could have came running in here. You know, it could have been on our side. It's really terrifying."